Everyday Cooking

During the interactive sessions after every live cookery demonstration, I had scores of housewives coming up to me and saying, "Chef, it is so much easier to plan the menu for parties but we find it so difficult to decide what to cook every day. Why don't you come up with a book of recipes that are suitable for everyday cooking?" I could understand their problem, since we experience the same thing at home. I, too, felt that it was high time I authored a book, which would cater to the meal preparation-need of most households on a daily basis. Dishing up daily meals is not just about getting food to the table in a snap, it also needs to be wholesome and
nourishing. And more importantly it should satisfy everyone - from the oldest to the youngest member of the family! A truly happy family is the one that eats together and actually enjoys eating the food served to them. Family members ought to look forward to mealtimes and relish the food put on the table. Keeping all this in mind, my team and I got down to work. We had extensive brainstorming sessions and compiled recipes that would be healthy, tasty, and easy to make any day of the week.

Here are a few things one should keep in mind. Plan ahead! Decide on a weekly menu - it is a good idea to have multiple dishes around certain vegetables or meats. Shop accordingly. Also, ensure that your spice bottles are full because they are the ones that add flavour to any dish. A word of advice here - be careful while using spices, since too much or too little of any one spice or wrong combination of spices could mar the dish. Last but not the least, no one likes spending hours in the kitchen; so go in for a weekly menu that has a good mix of varied recipes including quick and easy recipes. Since, in more than most modern households time is an expensive commodity. Use this ready reckoner and serve delicious and nutritious meals to your loved ones. All the recipes in the book are meant for four portions, keeping in mind that they form a part of a menu with other dishes to complement them. You can churn up scores of menus from these recipes. Also, eating and enjoying healthy food is good but remember regular exercise is an imperative element too. So eat well, work out, and lead a healthy life.